Racing rails are used to create a boundary to a racing track. The rail which forms the inner and outer boundary of a horse racing track is offset inwards of the posts which support the rail. The rail is also offset at a level above the ground which is approximately equal to the level of the body portion of horses which race on the track.
If and when a jockey is dismounted during a race or training, the area underneath the offset portion of the rail and posts provides a relatively safe haven from the horses following in the path of the fallen jockey.
However, the offset rail arrangement creates a problem of its own. If the jockey is dismounted in a sideways direction while also having a high forward velocity, that jockey is likely to suffer serious injury when they fall from above and into the offset area and collide heavily with the upright posts which support the rail.
To prevent such an occurrence, covers have been placed on top of the area between posts as well as over the posts. An example of such an arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,002, to Fontana dated Apr. 17, 1984.
The Fontana specification discloses an invention related to the placement of generally L-shaped elongated panels in overlapping relationship from end to end on the upper and inside region of the race track rail and post arrangement. The panels are designed to soften the landing of a displaced jockey and further the Fontana invention relates to the shape of its upper surface which is designed to direct the fallen rider away from the race track.
However, this arrangement has a number of problems.
Firstly, the Fontana rail and post guard is typically made of plastic and it is known for the plastic to become brittle after prolonged exposure to the environment. When the cover is brittle it is likely not to withstand the impacts it was initially designed to deal with and the cover may consequently break and cause unnecessary injury.
Secondly, the Fontana racing rail and post guard is very labour intensive to install. So much labour is involved that, it is generally used only on fixed-in-the-ground posts and rails and is not used on relocatable post and rail arrangements.
Thirdly, the fixing methods used to secure the Fontana racing rail and post guard to the posts and rails are expensive and time consuming since many pop rivets or tek screws are used to connect the cover not only to the rail but also the support brackets connected to the offset shaped posts.
Thus it is proposed that there is a need for an attachment method and means which provides a cover which is long lasting, reliably resilient and simple enough to fit such that it can be used on both fixed and relocatable racing post and rail assemblies.